Flight attendants typically serve airline meals from galley carts they move up and down passenger aisles. Conventional galley carts are typically manufactured from aluminum. For example, one known galley cart is manufactured by attaching aluminum sandwich panels to an aluminum frame structure. The sandwich panels can include aluminum skins and a PVC foam or honeycomb core. This galley cart is generally handmade in a labor-intensive process. As a result, this galley cart is relatively expensive to manufacture. In addition, it is relatively heavy and thermally inefficient.
In addition to galley carts, aircraft galleys typically include waste carts for collecting food service waste and other refuse during flight. Conventional waste carts are open at the top like a typical garbage receptacle. In addition, they typically include a plurality of wheels so that they can be easily moved around the aircraft galley. One known galley waste cart manufactured by Kitterman Plastics of 4100 Riverside Street, Kansas City, Mo. 64150, is rotational molded from high-density polyethylene. Rotational molding is a cost-effective way to produce large parts from plastic. The process involves loading plastic resin into a mold that is heated as it is rotated slowly about both the vertical and horizontal axes. Simultaneously heating and rotating the mold causes the melting resin to evenly coat the internal surfaces of the mold. The mold continues to rotate during a cooling cycle so that the finished part has an even wall thickness. While suitable for refuse collection, waste carts are not suitable for food service because, among other things, they lack means for insulating meals and stowing meals in an organized manner.
Current FAA regulations require that the doors of the galley carts be securely latched when closed. Because galley cart doors are typically thin (in order to reduce weight), the current approach to latching the doors has been to outfit the doors with a three-point attachment latch, such as a model 3100 available from Adams Rite Aerospace of Fullerton, Calif. This latch can secure the upper edge, lower edge, and center of the door to the body of the galley cart. Accordingly, the three-point attachment latch can prevent the door from opening or partially opening, even when aircraft accelerations force the contents of the galley cart against the inward facing surface of the door.
While the foregoing latching technique provides adequate securement for the galley cart door, it suffers from several drawbacks. For example, the three-point attachment latch mechanism is relatively complex because it latches the door at three different locations. Accordingly, in some instances, latches of this type can be relatively time-consuming to install and can be more susceptible to failure. Such latches can also be relatively heavy, which in turn can reduce the overall operating efficiency of the aircraft in which they are installed.